Muggleborn VS Pureblood
by Glittering Moonlight
Summary: Draco and Hermione bet that Muggle-borns and Purebloods are better than each other. They compete in everything, from Ancient Runes to Potions. One day, Harry (whom is Hermione's best friend, along with Ron), realizes that Hermione and Draco love each other and are only trying to get each others attention. Will Hermione and Draco realize this before Draco's father does?
1. Hermione meets Draco

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, he is the work of JKR.**

Hermione was bored; she had finished all the books in her school's library at the age of 10. "Mum, dad? Can I have some books for my birthday?" Hermione asked her parents.

"Of course!" Mr. and Mrs. Granger beamed. Hermione was thankful her parents were there for her. She had absolutely no friends, and everyone in her school called her a "Weirdo", "Nerd", or "Teacher's pet". On top of that, they called her a "Goody Two-shoes" because she didn't eat candy! It wasn't Hermione's fault that she liked studying or that her parents were dentists. In fact, studying was her only so-called achievement (If you even considered it an achievement). Hermione couldn't play a musical instrument, she couldn't speak another language, and she didn't have any extracurricular activities, unless you counted reading.

Another uneventful year of school passed, with a surprising letter from a place called, "Hogwarts". Hermione begged her parents to let her open it, but they steadfastly refused and told Hermione she had to go to bed. The next morning, Hermione awoke at 5 in the morning and tiptoed downstairs. She opened the letter and let out a scream of surprise. _Wait, there are witches and wizards in the world? And _I _am one of them?_ Hermione let out a squeak and ran to her parents' room. "Mum! Dad! I got accepted to Hogwarts! Let's go buy my school supplies!" she screamed.

"Honey? It's too early in the morning for that!" Hermione's mother contradicted.

"But, mother! I'm going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" Hermione wailed.

"Wait...what? What did you just say, sweetie?" Hermione's dad asked.

"Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, dad. I've been accepted; I can attend it! Here's the list of school supplies." Hermione sighed.

"Oh. Well, let's go later. Where do we go to get all this stuff?" Hermione's father asked, glancing at the school supplies list.

"Diagon Alley, of course!" Hermione replied.

"Okay, but later, honey. Your father and I need some sleep. We'll leave at nine," Hermione's mother said drowsily.

Hermione fixed herself a bagel with cream cheese, and researched Hogwarts for further information on it. She could barely find any, except for some information on how to get into Diagon Alley. At exactly 9 AM, Hermione rushed to her parents' room to find both of them snoring loudly. "Mother! Father! It's nine! Time to go to Diagon Alley!"

"Of course, sweetie. But we have to get dressed. Wait outside for us," Mrs. Granger replied.

Hermione waited in the kitchen for her parents to appear. All three of them hopped into their car and followed Hermione's instructions.

"Okay, so we go through this bar, then we tap these bricks on the brick wall behind it," Hermione instructed. Hermione noticed her parents seemed pale.

Hermione tapped the bricks in the order specified in the instructions, and was amazed that the bricks shuffled themselves to reveal a doorway. Her mother and father just stood behind her, gaping.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger went to the bank to exchange money, and Hermione wandered over to the Quidditch Store (whatever that was). She stared at the window, where a magnificent broomstick was on display.

"You're a mudblood, eh?" A voice drawled. Hermione turned and saw a boy with pale blond hair staring at her.

"Well, I'm Muggle-born. Is that the same thing?" Hermione asked innocently.

"Of course! I bet that purebloods, like me, are much better than mudbloods, like you," Draco smirked.

"Well, I bet Muggle-borns are better than purebloods," Hermione glared at Draco.

"Ha! Mudbloods suck. I bet that I win the bet," Draco snarled, and with that, he left.

Hermione, shaken by the term "Mudblood", hurried away to find her parents. They were standing in front of the bank, Gringotts.

"Honey, what happened?" Mr. Granger asked.

"Oh, nothing," Hermione lied.

Hermione and her parents spent the whole day shopping, and went home exhausted.

**A/N: This is my second story. So, what do you think? R&R!**


	2. On the Train

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any characters from Harry Potter. Joanne is a mere creation of mine, though. The first few chapters will be told in Hermione's point of view. **  
"According to _Hogwarts, A History_, we get onto Platform 9 ¾ by going through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10," Hermione rambled, reading _Hogwarts, A History_ with such speed that a cheetah would lose a race to her.  
"Dear, we would die! We would be running straight toward a hard surface!" Mrs. Granger wailed.  
"Mother, I think that there is some sort of magic that allows people who go through that wall to arrive at Platform 9 ¾. Oh, I'm so excited! Only a week left!" Hermione gleamed with pride, "Mum, dad, can I have an owl? Please?"  
"No, sweetie. We'll give you an owl next year. It's time for bed! You don't want to wake up late tomorrow, it's Joanne's birthday party!" Mrs. Granger replied.  
"But, mother, I don't even like Joanne Martins! She teases me all day long. And besides, its her mother who invited us, not her. Do we have to go?" Hermione pleaded.  
"Yes, dear. Now go to bed! You're mother and I are very unhappy about your behavior," Mr. Granger scolded.  
"Yes, mum, dad," Hermione scowled, and with her head bent down, she trudged up the stairs.

In the morning, Hermione purposely woke up late, at around 10 am. "Why did you wake up so late today?" her mother asked.  
"I was just so sleepy," Hermione answered.  
"Well, I'm afraid that we can't go to Joanne's party. I'm certain that her mother does not tolerate tardiness. Ah, well, we can just relax!" Mr. Granger grinned and it became pretty obvious that he hadn't wanted to go to Joanne's party as well.  
"YES!" Hermione yelled, receiving a deathly look from her mother. "I mean, um, oh. That's sad."  
"Hermione," Mrs. Granger threatened.  
"Sorry, mother, sorry," Hermione apologized. After all, Joanne's mother and her mother were the best of friends.  
"Well, I'll just have to call her and say we can't go," Mrs. Granger sighed. She picked up a telephone and dialed the Martins' phone number. "Hello! Oh, Jill, I'm so sorry! We can't make it today; Hermione was a bit sleepy. Yes...yes...I will bring Joanne's present over. Well, okay. Bye!"  
She hung up, "Well, Hermione, I'll drop off the present and Jill will give me your goodie-bag and a piece of cake. Hermione, if you are to come with me, I expect you to be respectful to Jill and Joanne. Do you understand?"  
"Yes, mother. But I don't want to go," Hermione whimpered. She did the baby puppy eyes trick, which always worked. Sure enough, Mrs. Granger announced that she would go alone to drop off the present.  
A minute passed. Eventually, an entire hour passed and Mrs. Granger was still not home. Three more hours passed, and Mr. Granger decided to called Mrs. Granger to see what she was doing. "Honey? Sylvia? Where are you?...Oh, well, Hermione and I were beginning to worry. Yes, dear, we ate lunch. What are you doing at Jill's anyway? You said you would be back before we knew it. Oh, okay, bye," Mr. Granger ended the call. "Hermione, your mother is apparently buying a farewell present for you."  
"Oh. Really?" Hermione couldn't believe that her mother would actually buy a gift for a "farewell party".  
"Yeah, well, apparently. She is also planning on hosting a "Farewell" party. She said only if she had time. She should be back in about half and hour."  
"Dad, I'm going to bed now," Hermione groaned. She was extremely sleepy.  
"Of course, Hermione! Remember, 6 more days until the first day of school!"  
"I can't wait!" Hermione smiled. And she really meant it.

"Good-bye, sweetheart!" Mr. and Mrs. Granger called, "We'll miss you!" Hermione had just boarded the Hogwarts Express.  
"Okay, mum! See you at Christmas!" Hermione waved at her parents from the window. Neville Longbottom, the boy sitting next to her, stared with envy.  
"Your parents are with you!" He gaped in awe. Suddenly, a warty old toad leaped from his bag. "TREVOR!"  
"Neville, I'll go find him," Hermione walked confidently around. She opened a caboose door, to find a red-haired boy and a black-haired boy sitting there. "Have you seen a toad? Neville has lost his."  
"Who're you?" the red-head asked.  
"Hermione Granger. And you?" Hermione indicated the black-haired boy.  
"Harry Potter. And that is Ron. Ron Weasley."  
"Harry Potter? The Boy-Who-Lived? Wow, you're famous! Anyway, Ron, you have a smudge on your nose. Well, see you around. I've got to find Neville's toad. How about this spell..." Hermione's voice trailed off as she walked away. "I have no idea what to do. I'll just tell Neville I can't find him." And with that, Hermione went back to the caboose. "Well, Neville..."

**A/N: Well, what do you think? Read and Review! :)**


	3. The Sorting

"First years this way! First years this way!" Hagrid yelled, and Hermione scrambled off the train and headed for Hagrid. Hagrid told the first years to get on a rowboat with a few others, and Hermione found herself on a rowboat with Draco Malfoy and his little (or rather, big) minions with him.  
"Well, well, well. We meet again, _mudblood_," Draco sneered.  
"Yes, of course, Malfoy. And I presume-" Hermione never finished her sentence. She was amazed at the breathtaking beauty of Hogwarts. She, along with everyone else, stared with magnificent silence at the towers of Hogwarts.  
The silence was broken by Ronald Weasley, whom suddenly yelled, "WE'RE AT HOGWARTS!" Everyone stared puzzledly at Ron.  
"What he means is, we have arrived," the _famous_ Harry Potter corrected. Ron grinned sheepishly and nodded. Eventually, all of the first-years arrived at Hogwarts and started to trudge up some stairs to find Professor McGonagall waiting for them.

"...before we can eat, all of you must be sorted. I will call you when it is time," McGonagall announced. She returned to the Dining Hall.  
Hermione hadn't noticed that Draco had wandered over to Harry's side. "Hello, I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. And this here is Crabbe, the other is Goyle. And you don't want to be friends with the wrong type-" Draco glanced at Ron (who had, thankfully, wiped his nose) and continued. What he said Hermione didn't know, as she was giving her full and undivided attention to Professor McGonagall, who had just appeared.  
"We are ready for you now," she snipped, giving Draco a menacing glance. The first years followed McGonagall into the Dining Hall, where all eyes were on them. "Okay, when I call your name, you are to come up here and place the hat on your head. Ready? Alright, Abbott, Hannah!"

After quite a few students, McGonagall read, "Granger, Hermione!" Hermione bit her lip, whispered, "You can do this.", and walked timidly to the Sorting Hat. She sat on the stool, and Professor McGonagall dropped the hat on her.

"Ah, intelligent, yes? And you are brave, but cunning as well. Where should I put you? Ravenclaw or Gryffindor? This is hard, very hard indeed." A breathy voice whispered into her ear.

"Just anything but Slytherin," Hermione whispered.

"Okay, well, GRYFFINDOR!"

The entire Gryffindor table clapped modestly, and Hermione sat down next to Percy Weasley.

After a few more students were sorted, McGonagall called out, "Malfoy, Draco!" The pureblood walked to the stool and sat down. The hat had barely touched him when it yelled out, "SLYTHERIN!" Draco smirked at Hermione and strutted to the Slytherin table, where all the students were clapping.

Hermione looked away and rolled her eyes. Boys. She noticed the black-haired Potter boy walk timidly up to the stool. She realized that she had missed a lot of the Sorting. Harry Potter was taking quite a long time to get sorted. "GRYFFINDOR!" Hermione clapped along with all the other Gyffindors as harry walked over and sat in front of Hermione.  
"Hello, Hermione," he greeted stiffly.  
"Pay attention, your friend Ronald is getting sorted," Hermione snapped. Harry turned and stared at Ron.  
"Ah, another Weasley. How many of you are there, anyway? I know just what to do with you...GRYFFINDOR!" The Hat shouted. Ron walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Harry.  
"Ronald, I'm glad to see you finally rubbed that smudge of dirt off your nose. It was annoying me quite a bit!" Hermione greeted. Ron scowled.  
"-Let the feast begin!" Dumbledore announced, and Ron immediately stuffed his face with chicken legs and peas.  
"Blease zall be Ron," Ron mumbled, his mouth stuffed with food.  
"What did you say?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.  
Ron swallowed, "I said, 'Please call me Ron'."  
"Oh, well, okay, Ron," Hermione turned around and started to chat with Neville, "Neville, did you know that..."

Professor McGonagall tapped her cup, "Professor Dumbledore would like to make a few announcements."  
"First-years, I would like to announce that the Dark Forest is forbidden. Tut, tut. Time is going by quickly. Well, you are dismissed. First-years, follow the prefects to your common rooms," Dumbledore smiled.  
"Gryffindors, follow me. Don't dawdle," Percy Weasley ordered.

**A/N: And so here it is. The long-awaited third chapter. Sorry for the late update. I've been busy. Read and Review!**


	4. The First Defeats

Hermione rolled on her bed. She couldn't sleep; she had been wondering about Draco's bet. _How can I prove that purebloods aren't so good?_ She wondered. After all, it was common knowledge that purebloods did magic before going to school, so Draco was probably ahead of her. But, Hermione _had_ done some magic before school. She had repaired some things in her house, and brewed a few potions for her parents, like a potion to heal burns or scratches. Hermione had also read all the books ahead of time. A voice in her head piped up, "You know, Draco might not be that good." Hermione was calmed by that little voice and eventually fell asleep.

Hermione woke up bright and early the next day, despite the fact that she slept late. She crept past Lavender and Parvati, and left the Gryffindor Common Room. She went to the Dining Hall, where only a few people were present, including Draco Malfoy, Percy Weasley, Professor Dumbledore, and Crabbe and Goyle. Unlike Percy, Draco, and Hermione, Crabbe and Goyle looked extremely sleepy and cranky. Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table, and food immediately appeared in front of her. She ate until she was satisfied, and at that point, Ronald and Harry had arrived. They sat in front of her, and Ron immediately started eating almost everything on the table. "Excuse me, Ron, Harry, but I have to leave," Hermione left the table.

Hermione sat alone at a table for Transfiguration. Ron and Harry still hadn't arrived. _Boys. They're always late_. She sighed. "Lucky McGonagall isn't here," Ron said. Hermione turned and saw he and Harry had arrived. The little cat on McGonagall's table suddenly became Professor McGonagall. "Hello, Ron and Harry. Please find a seat. Make sure this doesn't happen again!" She scolded.

"Remember, swish and flick! Swish and flick!" Professor Flitwick was saying, "Can anyone do the 'Wingardium Leviosa' spell?" Draco and Hermione both raised their hands and glared at each other.  
"How about you, Ms. Granger?"  
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Hermione chanted, and her feather was immediately floating in midair.  
"Good, Ms. Granger, good!" Flitwick praised. Hermione raised an eyebrow at Draco and smirked. "And you, Mr. Malfoy? I'm sure you can do it! You raised your hand," Flitwick inquired.  
"Wingardium Leviosar!" Draco commanded, and his feather stayed put. Ron and Harry snickered.

"Ms. Granger, can you tell Mr. Malfoy why his feather won't float?" Professor Flitwick asked.  
"Malfoy had, unfortunately for him, said, 'Wingardium Leviosar' instead of 'Wingardium Leviosa'" Hermione stated matter-of-factly, "A little pronunciation mistake can lead to very difficult, um, weird, effects."  
"Yes, Miss Granger, yes! Ten points to Gryffindor!"  
Draco slammed his hand onto his forehead and groaned. _The mudblood had beaten me!_ He couldn't believe it.

"Potions isn't..." Professor Snape drawled, and Hermione couldn't quite hear him over Harry's loud quill, "Some people are so confident, that they don't pay attention!"  
Hermione rolled her eyes, nudged Harry, and jutted her chin to Snape. Snape started to question Harry, and Hermione knew all the answers while Harry didn't. "Now, make this potion from page 39 of your book."  
Hermione did it perfectly, but Snape only had eyes for Draco. "Ah, Malfoy! A perfect potion! Ten points to Slytherin!" Draco smirked at Hermione. Hermione glared at Snape and felt rage at him for being so unfair. _A point for me!_ Draco thought.  
**A/N: Well, the fourth chapter. What do you think? Read and Review! :)**


	5. Meeting in the Library

"Meet me in the library. 7 pm. URGENT," Hermione stared at the anonymous note. Harry, who had been spying on Hermione (he had noticed weird things happening between her and Malfoy). Harry decided to spy on Hermione there.

"Malfoy, what do you want?" Hermione asked forcefully.  
"I don't need you asking me, mudblood! We are here to discuss several, um, problems about our bet."  
Harry, who was behind a shelf of books, leaned in closer.  
"What do you mean, problems? Just admit it. Purebloods aren't as great as you think."  
"Excuse me?" Draco raised an eyebrow. Hermione might not have noticed it, but Harry saw that Hermione got a dreamy look on her face. _Weird..._  
"Um, I meant..."  
"No need, no need. Whatsoever, we need a scorekeeper. So, every time we succeed in something the other does not, we get a point. The person with the most points at the end of the year wins."  
"Wins what?" Hermione asked, confused.  
"Um, we'll decide later. Now, get out of my way, mudblood. You make the scorekeeper." And with that, Draco strutted out the door.  
"Now, I'll just enchant this piece of parchment..."Hermione was saying. Harry crept silently out the library and into the boys dormitory.

"One point for me," Hermione said, "And one point for Malfoy." The enchanted parchment immediately drew one tally mark on the half labeled "Hermione" and one tally mark on the other half, which was labeled, "Draco". "Now it's time for bed," Hermione snuggled under the covers and instantly fell asleep.

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. The main point of the chapter is that they made a scorekeeper. Sorry! I've been working on my new story.**


	6. Halloween

Pretty soon, Halloween arrived. Draco and Hermione each had three points. They were both trying their best, but it seemed that they were at the same level at many things. Draco's three points were from Potions, and Hermione's from Charms and Transfiguration. Ron and Harry were forever pestering Hermione. Hermione spent the entire day on Halloween in the girls' bathroom crying. During the feast, while Hermione was crying, Professor Quirrell warned the others of a troll. Hermione, who was getting ready to leave, suddenly saw a really big shadow behind her. _Uh-oh. _Hermione knew it was a troll. She had read about them. But how do you defeat them? She racked her brain for information. _Ah! The Wingardium Leviosa spell on his weapon! _Hermione whispered, "Wingardium Leviosa!" and the weapon the troll was using floated. Hermione dropped her wand, and the weapon hit the troll smack on his face. She left the bathroom in a hurry. The professors hurried into the bathroom. (**A/N: In my version, Hermione defeats the troll.**)

Hermione sneaked a look at the scorekeeper. _What? I have four points? Ha! Draco will be mad._Hermione rolled her eyes and went to sleep.

"Your turn to keep the scorekeeper, Malfoy," Hermione handed the piece of parchment to Draco. He sputtered, "What? How did you get another point?"  
"I blacked out a troll, that's what!" Hermione smirked. Draco widened his eyes, caught himself, and glared.  
"Well..." Draco couldn't find the word he needed. Hermione raised an eyebrow.  
"Nevermind," Draco nodded curtly and continued on his way to Herbology.  
"Wait! Malfoy!" Hermione rushed after him.  
"Yeah?" Draco asked.  
"Do not try to make the scorekeeper add points that you don't deserve. It'll just black out for half an hour."  
"Uh, sure," Draco replied, and pushing Hermione back, hurried on his way.

**A/N: Sorry! I've been busy with my other stories, and I have writer's block. Anyway, I'll try to update daily from now on. Yes, I know my chapters are short. Just live with it. I happen to have a flair for writing short chapters.  
**


	7. Discovering the Secret

Draco wished he had taken Granger's warning seriously. The scorekeeper was just a regular piece of parchment now. He sighed. Know-it-all Granger was proving to be quite useful. His parents were pleased with his success in class, and thanks to Granger, he was trying harder. Thanks to Granger, he might even be the best student in the year.

Draco hoped he would win the bet. It would kill his parents if they found out their son was beaten by a mudblood. He shuddered at that thought. But he wasn't so sure of winning anymore. Granger had proved to be a studious person. Draco was getting even more studious just because of their stupid bet. He sighed. If Granger took Muggle Studies, he would have to, too. He did not want to take Muggle Studies.

Harry sniggered. "Ron, do you reckon Hermione likes Malfoy?"  
"WHAT?" Ron yelled.  
"Yeah. They are always bickering and fighting for the place as best student of the year."  
"What does that have to do with _love_?" Ron asked, finally recovering from his confusion.  
"Don't you see? I saw, with my own eyes, Hermione gaze lovingly at Draco. I think neither one of them noticed."  
"Oh." Ron replied, still baffled.  
"The thing is, Malfoy is one of those pureblood people who hate muggle-borns and blood traitors. You reckon Malfoy would still like 'Mione?"  
"I guess. It depends on his _father_, though." Ron snickered, "His father would definitely try to kill Hermione for doing something like that!"  
"Guys! Isn't that conversation a bit, um, too mature for you?" Fred (or was it George?) exclaimed.

"Did you hear the whole thing, Fred?" Ron asked Fred suspiciously.  
"I'm not Fred, I'm George! And yes, I did," Fred replied.  
"No, Fred, _I'm _George. Why do you think Hermione likes _Malfoy_?" George asked.  
"Aww, come on George!" Fred groaned, cutting off Harry.  
"Because those two are forever meeting, and once, I saw Hermione gaze lovingly at Malfoy!" Harry replied, completely ignoring Fred.  
"Oh, I see. Maybe she is under the Imperius Curse or a love potion? And Fred, I'm too tired," George yawned and fell asleep instantly.  
"That boy, so easy to tire out. Well, see you soon! Ronnie, we do NOT want to find you having this sort of conversation again, hear? Maybe...maybe...next time we'll tell Mum!" Fred threatened.  
"Sure, Fred!" Ron answered, rolling his eyes.

**A/N: Review, review, review, please! :D**


	8. Fred and George Pull a Prank

Draco and Hermione thought that no one would find them in the far away corner of the library. Alas, Harry and Ron had snuck there and interrupted Hermione and Draco's long-awaited half-term point count. Harry walked straight to them and said loudly, "What are you doing with Malfoy, 'Mione?"  
"I am, if you haven't noticed, talking with Malfoy. Now, will you give us some privacy or what?" Hermione asked, glaring.  
"Yeah, Potter, we need some space," Draco sneered, emphasizing the word "space".  
"Alright, alright," Harry threw his hands up into the air and swore.

"Did you here? They need space!" Harry grinned at Ron. Fred and George, who had been spying on Harry and Ron, who in turn had been spying on Hermione and Draco, suddenly popped out from behind Harry and Ron.

"Ickle Ronniekins didn't believe us!" One twin cooed.  
"Ronald Bilius Weasley! Who said you could spy on others?" The other scolded, making a highly accurate impersonation of Mrs. Weasley.  
"Yeah, Ickle Ronniekins will pay for that!" the first twin yelled and, pulling the other twin, ran away before Ron or Harry could lift a finger.

"UGH!" Ron made an obscene gesture and swore loudly.  
"Shhhhh..." Harry hissed. "They'll hear us!"  
Sure enough, Draco and Hermione's heads swiveled over to the direction where Ron and Harry were hiding.  
"Did you hear anything?" Hermione asked, her eyes narrowing.  
"I don't know, but I thought I heard some whispers," Malfoy rolled his eyes, "Let's just ignore it. As I was saying..." Harry and Ron crept silently away from the pair.

"Did you hear them?" Harry asked, his eyes glowing.  
"Yeah, but it was all about academics!" Ron smirked, "What does that have to do with love?"  
"I dunno," Harry shrugged.

"Hey, Fred, what prank shall we pull on little bro?" George asked his twin.  
"I dunno. Maybe...hand him a Puking Pastille, but only the orange half?" Fred suggested.  
"Or, we could give him a fake wand!" George added. Those two came up with all sorts of ideas, all branching out from their joke supplies.  
"Okay, so what are we doing?" Fred asked, after an hour of discussing.  
"How about...the Puking Pastille?" George chuckled.  
"Alright." Fred took out a Puking Pastille.  
"We'll say the purple part is only for girls," George commented.

"Hey, Ron!" George handed the Puking Pastille to Ron, "You can only eat the orange part, because the purple part is only for girls." Ron took the Puking Pastille.  
"What is this, anyway?" he asked.  
"A very. very, very yummy candy," Fred exaggerated.  
"Oh, okay!" Ron looked delighted.

Ron didn't eat the 'candy' until after breakfast the next day. He immediately started to throw up everywhere. Fred and George snickered.  
Ron was rushed to the Hospital Wing. Ron was very angry at the twins for pulling a prank on him, but they just snorted.

"Ronniekins, enjoy your stay in the Hospital Wing!" Fred cooed. He and George left, chuckling.****

A/N: Writer's Block is quite annoying! :( I will try to update every other day, but the problem is that I am just not writing fast enough. Sorry!


	9. The Reactions: The Gossip

Rumors were spreading. Nasty, awful rumors about Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger. And who started it all? The Weasley twins, although they refused to admit it. All they had done was tell Parvati Patil, but they didn't know that she was a major gossiper!

Ron, after a few days of staying in the Hospital Wing, was quite happy to get out. That is, for only one minute. Just as he stepped out, Fred and George stopped him and dropped a huge pile of books and homework assignments on his arms. "Your homework," George smirked.

Ron sighed. He hated homework, and Harry wasn't much help to him when he needed it. Also, he barely knew anyone in his year. Ron was sure that if Hermione wasn't so busy hanging around Malfoy, she would help him with his homework.

Yet, Hermione was also quite busy. When she wasn't studying and doing homework, she was helping Harry with his homework. Of course, Hermione would have been _happy_ to help Ronald, but Hermione felt that Ron had to at least _try._ Harry tried, so why couldn't Ron? Hermione also knew that Harry showed Ron his homework, so what was the need to help two people?

Hermione was also quite aware of what Harry and Ron were saying. Apparently, they thought she like Malfoy...like that would happen! After all, they were only _eleven_! Come on, they weren't even teenagers! (**XD They get into a relationship in third year, kay?**) And so, Hermione decided she was _not_ going to let the boys think of her so. To love Malfoy? That absurd, prejudiced rat? No way! She would _die_ before even thinking about it!

Draco Malfoy had also heard the rumors Potter and Weasley were spreading, and he had confirmed to the Slytherins that he was _not_, would _not_, and will _never _like Granger. He was not a blood-traitor, and he will never be one. They were a disgrace to all! All the other Slytherins agreed. However, Draco was still thinking on it. He had to admit that Granger was pretty nice-looking, with gorgeous but bushy brown hair, and she did look mighty fine in skinny jeans, which she wore during free time... Draco pushed the thoughts out of his head. If he was going to date someone, it was not going to be a mudblood or a half-blood. And that was final.

Harry wasn't mediocre, as Snape liked to say. In fact, Harry was pretty much a genius. But not in Potions. Harry knew that Hermione was aware that he knew that she and Malfoy were meeting secretly. Shoot, she might even know his idea...

Ron was, in fact, mediocre. Unlike everyone else, he had absolutely no idea that Hermione had caught up to them now. And so, Harry just left Ron behind so that he could finish his homework. Harry had gone off with Fred and George to do some random things.

Fred and George Weasley were not stupid. They knew that Ickle Ronniekins had wanted to fit in with the _famous_ Harry Potter, but Ronald really needed to get more serious. Not that the twins were serious, but Ron should be anyway. Because Fred and George were the main prankers, and Ron basically had to at least be serious! (**Not Sirius XD**)

The Slytherins, despite Draco Malfoy's attempts at reassuring them, were still puzzled. Did Draco Malfoy like Granger? Or did he hate her? They didn't know; they had only heard the Ravenclaws, whom they barely tolerated, gossiping about it...

The Ravenclaws loved the new gossip. The Slytherin Prince, crushing on the Gryffindor Princess? Amazing!

The Hufflepuffs didn't care, really. What did it matter that some random dude liked this other girl?

Now, the Gryffindors were the heart of this all. Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown spent hours gossipping. The boys merely shrugged. The older girls carried on with their relationships, ignoring the 'pathetic' ones of the first-years. The first-years spent days discussing this, with Hermione blushing a little bit and Harry looking concerned. Ron just blinked and begged Hermione to help him with his homework.

* * *

**A/N: I made Ron a 'bit' too stupid... Sorry, Ron fans, but I just don't like Ron.**


	10. The Truth is Revealed: Do they Believe?

"Look here, Malfoy," Hermione hissed. "We may be hidden at the moment, but do you think we were that hidden before?"  
"Um..." Draco sputtered.  
"Don't you see?" Hermione asked, exasperated. "People have been gossiping about us getting together!"  
"I know," Draco commented.  
Hermione glared at Draco, "And we are not."  
"So?" Draco asked.  
"Ahem," Hermione coughed. "So you are implying that you don't care that people gossip about us?"  
"No!" Draco looked startled. "Of course not!"  
"Then why have you been answering me with 'um', 'so?', and 'I know'?"  
"I dunno," Draco shrugged, thinking about his Transfiguration homework.  
"I see," Hermione raised an eyebrow, implying that she did not see. "Does that mean you give up on the bet?"  
"No!" Draco whispered loudly. "No! I was just wondering...how...how...how about we add something to our bet?"  
"And this something would be...?" Hermione crossed her arms.  
"I don't know, maybe we could bet galleons?" Draco suggested hopefully.  
"Galleons?" Hermione snorted. "I don't need money. How about...pride? The loser has to...has to...tell their housemates what they really think about the other!"  
"Alright," Draco sniffed, turning away.  
"Why are you so distracted today?" Hermione demanded.  
"I don't know."  
"That's all you say?" Hermione huffed. "Well, I'll be leaving now!" She flounced out of the Room of Requirement.

* * *

Hermione shifted the stack of books. _ Heh, I might even win this bet!_ Yes, indeed. Hermione was in the lead with five points, while Draco had four. Sad, really. Draco got all his points from Potions.

Well, at least the gossip had come to an end. No one had spotted Draco Malfoy with Hermione Granger, so the gossip had died down. Harry, however, was always following Hermione, and he seemed to want to apologize for something. Hermione had caught Harry trying to talk to Ron, but Ron was either too intent on eating or trying to finish his homework. Hermione, in turn, had been spying on Harry. It became clear to her that Harry hadn't started the rumors, so who did? It was obvious Parvati Patil had started it, but who told her? Ron? No, not him, he was a dunderhead. Fred? George? Possibly. Hermione could swear that she had seen Fred and George spying on Harry, who was spying on her, so they were spying on her. Confusing logic, eh? So Hermione had a lead. Either Fred or George. Possibly both of them...

* * *

Hermione mustered a smile. After a week of stalking Fred and George (**I just liked the idea of Hermione stalking them. XD**), Hermione knew for sure that they were the ones behind all the rumors. Well, Parvati was also in charge, but Fred and George more because they had both told Parvati. Hermione made a mental note to herself to track down Fred and George when they were alone and make them pay. But how would she do that? Nevermind, she wouldn't do that; it might cost her house points. And when she lost House points, the scorekeeper would take off one point for every ten House points lost. So Hermione dropped the idea.

Draco Malfoy had heard the Slytherins, especially Pansy Parkinson, whispering about him and Granger. Like they would ever like each other! A little voice in his head, however, protested that he did indeed like her but didn't want to admit it because she was a mudblood. Draco ignored the little voice and pushed it farther into his mind. He had to kill the people who started this rumor, he had to. If he was to lose House points, so be it. He just needed to kill the stupid person who had started all of this. It was either a Slytherin or a Gryffindor. Probably a Gryffindor; they were way too nosy. He would track down the person if it was last thing he did. But that would be hard. Maybe he could ask Granger for help...? No, mudbloods weren't to be much help to him.  
"But you have to admit that Granger is smart!" the little voice protested, breaking free of Draco's little conserved part of his mind.  
"No I will not!" Draco snarled back. Once again, he pushed the voice deep into his mind, if not deeper than ever. This voice was seriously annoying...

* * *

"You like Draco Malfoy, admit it," a voice in Hermione's voice shrilled. "You know it."  
"Shut up," Hermione thought back. "Don't you know what he has done to me?"  
"Yes," the voice agreed, laughing. "And it certainly wasn't that bad!"  
"What?" Hermione protested.  
"Eh?" Lavender Brown asked. "Hermione?"  
"Oh, nevermind." Hermione waved her off and Lavender shrugged, falling back asleep.  
"You know, you should see his face when you talk to him!" the voice cackled.  
Hermione rolled her eyes and she, too, pushed the voice away. She resumed her 22nd reading of _Hogwarts, A History_.

* * *

**A/N: So, long time, no updates. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.  
Reviews will make my day, and don't expect updates until maybe 2/30/13, kay?**


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